Disclaimer: This is a general citation for reference purposes. Please consult the most recent edition of your style manual for the proper formatting of the type of source you are citing. If the date given in the citation does not match the date on the digital item, use the more accurate date below the digital item.

Disclaimer: This is a general citation for reference purposes. Please consult the most recent edition of your style manual for the proper formatting of the type of source you are citing. If the date given in the citation does not match the date on the digital item, use the more accurate date below the digital item.

Disclaimer: This is a general citation for reference purposes. Please consult the most recent edition of your style manual for the proper formatting of the type of source you are citing. If the date given in the citation does not match the date on the digital item, use the more accurate date below the digital item.

In Copyright: This item is protected by copyright. Copyright to this resource is held by the creator or current rights holder, and the resource is provided here for educational purposes. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without permission of the copyright owner. Users assume full responsibility for any infringement of copyright or related rights.

Note

This item was digitized from materials loaned by the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum (GCAM).

▼

Item Description

Title

File 006

Transcript

HOUSTON VOICE / MARCH 29, 1996 5
Former priest urges creating 'a new spiritual base'
(Continued from Page 1)
The claim of the "religious
right" that there is a war being
waged for Ihe soul of the nation
is true, says Helminiak; and
by refusing to challenge the
untruths and immoral aggression of this very group with our
own truths—rooted in our
own moral and spiritual
truth—we are allowing them
to win.
The turbulent, chaotic
times we live in provide the
perfect backdrop, he noted.
At a time when any eccentric
with access to the media (Fred
Phelps, for example) has a
forum, the radical have an
unprecedented opportunity to influence the thinking of society—the "soul of
the nation." And as a nation in
crises searches for its soul,
the answers seemingly provided by faction have accumulated incredible power.
Helminiak suggested that
the surprise success of his
book—initially refused by
several publishers —
hinged on "what Hegel
referred to a "Zeitgeist" —
the spirit of the times.
"Thai my book is a success
suggests that religion is still
a major concern in the gay and
lesbian community," he
added.
And the broader society, as
well, openly or implicitly, is
currently fixated on religious/spiritual issues.
"We are living through a
tremendous cultural shift,
and it revolves around religion and spirituality,"
notes Helminiak. The religious right offers the searching, the lost an easy answer: a
return lo religious hegemony—the "good old days" of
established morals and
forced spirituality—an
answer that is both incorrect
and impossible.
Meanwhile, other churches
and centers of spirituality have shied away from challenging the assertions of the
fundamentalists, a trend
that stems largely from what
Helminiak called a "misguided tolerance" of other
religious views. However,
he argued, "not all opinions
are equally valid
Our own response, he says,
has been dismally counterproductive: "In our clumsy
separation of church and
state, we have attempted to
create a spirituality-free
society." But removing the
spirit from a response to a crisis of the spirit is also doomed
to failure.
The answer, according to
Helminiak, is to create a
new spiritual base, one
rooted in unassailable truths
and universal values: in
presenting our position, he
suggested, we should "focus
on the underlying spiritual issues, and the underlying meaning and values,
visions and virtues...foster
authentic spirituality; be
open minded, sensitive,
curious, honest, objective
(and) discriminating," he
said.
As well, Helminiak suggested that gays and lesbians, in Biblical discussions, should abandon popular arguments that make
good logical sense but have
not been historically
proven true, in favor of those
that have already been proven
and accepted in Biblical
scholarship. Of the former,
he noted as an example the
frequent assertion that
Scriptural passages
believed by many to refer to
homosexuals in fact
make reference to heterosexual men who
perform
homosexual acts. An
example of the latter,
according to Helminiak: it
is a known and proven fact that
the passage so often quoted by
the religious right from
Romans referring to homosexual acts as "unnatural"
is a mistranslation. A
closer interpretation of the
word used would be "atypical."
Helminiak, a former
Texan, is now an assistant
professor of psychology at
West Georgia College near
Atlanta. A Roman Catholic
priest from 1967-1995, he has
written three other books.
New CO-PWA
support group
for Coastline
residents
Serving Galveston And
Outlying Areas
Coastline Organization of People Living with AIDS/HIV (CO-PWA) has seen a
need for support for the "consumer" and
their families, friends and loved ones that
are affected by the disease. One of the things
CO-PWA is currently working on is providing a drop-in center where the "consumer' and their family members, friends,
and loved ones can socialize in a home
atmosphere while getting updated information and support from others that truly
understand.
CO-PWA is a new non-profit organization that will serve the county of Galveston
and other outlying areas that are affected
by AIDS/HIV. CO-PWA's mission is to support businesses and communities
affected by AIDS/HIV and assist individuals in securing social, financial, educational, housing services, clothing, food.
medical supplies, and any needs that we
can possibly assist with.
CO-PWA is interested in working with the
infected and their families by teaching
them self empowerment through helping
one another and learning how to not just give
into the disease but to accept it, move on, and
live a longer, productive life with HIV/
AIDS.
Community outreach of CO-PWA will be
done by emphasizing 'illness prevention' through education; promoting wellness programs; providing social activities; and providing current information on maintaining and improving quality of life. Volunteers will he going into
businesses, schools, refineries,
churches etc., to accomplish this.
CO-PWA is anticipating programs
without cost to the "consumer" and can be
contacted by telephoning 409 762-0806.
Calls are confidential.
XAVIfR LUHfl. CflHDIDflTf fOR MR. TGRA 1997 PRfSfNTS
StiOWTIMf at 9pm BENEFITING TGRA HOUSTON CHAPTER
MALE STRIP
COKTfSTS
SUNDAY
with
BLACK VfLVfTT
WfDNfSDAY
with
COMMANDER CATIA
The Clothes Drop at llpm
SfVfN
DAYS
A WffK
fPI 6pm
SflT 9pm
SUN 5pm
MON 9pm
TUf 9pm
WED 7pm
TtlU 9pm
DAILY DRINK SPfCIALS OPfN to CLOSf
fRIDAY $3.50 ABSOLUT • SATURDAY $2.50 IMPORTS
SUNDAY $2.00 KOOLAIDS • MONDAY $2.00 DOMfSTICS
TUfSDAY $2.00 KAMIKAZES • WEDNESDAY S2.00 AMBROSIAS
THURSDAY $3.00 SKYY MARTINIS
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
Ttlt IMPERIAL COURT PRESENTS
EASTER fiOHHfT CONTEST
at 9pm followed by
JUKEBOX JAMBOREE
Qentiy
_^^ Wh o u b t O ™_W
2303 Richmond - 520-1861